Joe Rogalsky, The Examiner
2007-06-08 12:09:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

D.C. officials warned motorists Thursday that the looming shutdown of the South Capitol Street Bridge will cause plenty of traffic problems, but added the resulting revitalized area will be worth the sacrifice.

“There is no question it is going to be painful,” said Kathleen Penney, a D.C. Department of Transportation engineer. “But it was no accident that we planned this for July and August. We have a 15 percent to 20 percent reduction in traffic during those months.”

The crossing, also known as the Frederick Douglass Bridge, carries traffic in and out of the city over the Anacostia River. It will close for two months beginning July 6 so construction crews can lower 200 feet of its northern approach to create a ground-level roadway. Officials hope the new boulevard, which will include a signalized intersection at Potomac Avenue and South Capitol Street, will make the area more accessible and boost economic-development efforts.

Besides the Washington Nationals’ new baseball stadium, which was approved well after the project was conceived, new office buildings, shops and residential dwellings are planned for the area. The federal and D.C. transportation departments are building new headquarters in Anacostia, for example, and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is trying to lure the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to Anacostia.

“This project represents a different way of thinking about Washington, D.C.,” D.C. Council Member Tommy Wells said. “We haven’t thought this way for the past 20 or 30 years. You are seeing a transformation in the nation’s capital.”

The $28 million project also involves landscaping along the lowered roadway, new railings and lights for the 55-year-old bridge, and improvements to make the crossing safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Detour signs will be posted to guide motorists around the closed bridge, but D.C. transportation officials are urging motorists who normally cross the bridge to use Metro to enter the city or avoid the area by using New York Avenue, Benning Road or East Capitol Street instead.

“We want this to be a gateway boulevard instead of the industrial boulevard it is today,” said Emeka Moneme, D.C.’s transportation director.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com